Solar Heat Worldwide – Markets and contribution to the energy supply

The report Solar Heat Worldwide ascertains the contribution of solar plants to the supply of energy and the CO₂ emissions avoided as a result of operating these plants. The collectors documented are unglazed collectors, glazed flat-plate and vacuum tube collectors with water as the energy carrier as well as glazed and unglazed air collectors.

The data is collected within the framework of a questionnaire survey of the national delegates of the Executive Committee of the SHC Programme and other national experts active in the field of solar thermal energy. 22 countries have been included in the first report prepared in the year 2002. In the publication of the year 2006 there have been already 48 countries considered, which represents 3.87 billion people.

Through the continuing work of data investigation on this report intensive contact to experts in the field of solar thermal heat has been built up and consolidated. It is planned to continue with the yearly publication of the report. The report is the only document that summarizes the installed collector capacity in the world. It is an important document for all companies, NGO´s and governmental organizations that deal with renewable energies in order to plan their activities in the field of solar thermal applications.